Cuba has begun to evacuate thousands of people due to the imminent arrival of Hurricane “Rafael”, scheduled for this Wednesday in the western and central provinces, which are on “alert” to face the meteorological phenomenon. The hurricane is expected to move across the island from south to north in the next few hours.
Rafael, which will be the second hurricane to impact Cuban territory in the last two weeks, It currently has winds of 120 kilometers per hour. In its passage through the Caribbean Sea, it has increased its travel speed to 24 kilometers per hour, according to the latest report from the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet).
“Rafael” recently became a category 1 hurricane (out of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale when it was transiting near the Cayman Islands, and is located 355 kilometers from the Isla de la Juventud, the first territory in western Cuba that will receive its attack.
The Insmet forecast warns that there will be strong swells on the central and western south coast, with “moderate to strong” coastal flooding in the south of Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Artemisa and Pinar del Río.
The National Civil Defense has reported that it has been raised to the “cyclonic alert” phase the situation in the central provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus, which are added to those of Havana, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Pinar del Río, Matanzas and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, the places that face the greatest threat in the western region.
On this day the rains associated with “Rafael” have increased in the south-eastern and central regions, and according to the latest report they may be “strong and intense” in the west and center of the Caribbean country.
Among the measures adopted by the Cuban authorities in the face of this new meteorological contingency, the Ministry of Education suspended school activities, and the Ministry of Transportation canceled interprovincial bus and train trips.
Service and operations were also suspended at the airports in the western area of Isla of Youth, Havana and the tourist centers Cayo Largo del Sur and Varadero.
On October 21, Hurricane Óscar (category 1) entered the province of Guantánamo, the easternmost of Cuba, and then it was downgraded to a tropical storm, before leaving Cuban territory through the province of Holguín (northeast).
Cuban meteorologists predicted that the cyclone season – from June 1 to November 30 – It was going to be “very active”, with the possible formation of twenty tropical storms, of which at least eleven could become hurricanes.
FP
